This twenty-fifth annual spring celebration of "going long" made its rollicking return to our `Southside Racecourse` along the Chicago Park District Lakefront Trail. Our Southside racecourse follows the paved pedestrian path, with its "Start/Finish" at Jackson Park's 63rd Street Beach House, and "North Turnaround" at a latitude of 29th Street. Set with a staffed and fully stocked satellite aid station in Burnham Park, at a latitude of 39th Street. Each out-n-back lap totals a running distance of 10.356 miles. Three laps = 50 Kilometers. We prefer to chart our southside racecourse for spring-season racing; this version marked the 49th semiannual running of Chicago Lakefront Ultras.

Official statistics for our 2025 Chicago Lakefront Ultras Spring-Season 50K, Buildup Run, Half Marathon...
Race day unfolded...
Pleasant, warm spring-season racing conditions persisted throughout the day with temperatures ranging from 62° - 68°F, moderate winds, cloudy skies, and occasional drizzle. Seven 50K runners, and three Buildup runners opted for an early start; all early starters were `on course` between 6:25:49 -and- 7:18:50 am. Under the command of race starter Bart Segobiano, the 50K and Buildup Run had an official start of 8:30 am sharp. Slightly delayed by long porta-potty lines, the Half Marathon had an official start of 9:10:14 am. Combining all event distances, this running of Chicago Lakefront Ultras posted an impressive finish rate of 97.3%!

CLU 50 Kilometer Ultramarathon...
In his CLU debut Mike Rosen led all runners to the North_Turnaround_1 checkpoint pacing at 7:28, followed within two-minutes by Brian Wickman (5th CLU), Trevor Roop (1st CLU), and Chris Dybas (2nd CLU). Throughout the day Mike, Brian, and Chris would remain not much more than seven-minutes apart at turnaround checkpoints. On their last lap, Chris ran negative splits catching Brian before North_Turnaround_3, and Mike before JP_Beach_Finish. All three made the finish with less than two minutes separation; Chris in first place, Mike in second, and Brian in third. Top female honors were earned by Marina Dragatsis (5th CLU), who led the fairer sex throughout the day, finishing `Overall Top Female` and fourth place overall. Carmen Cramer (CLU debut) and Kathryn Rahn (2nd CLU) made their finish as Overall Female second and third respectively.
Click for full 50K Results:
Chicago Lakefront Ultras 50K Results

CLU 20.7-Mile Buildup Run...
Composed and steady in his CLU debut Tom Derrig set out at 6:30 pace and pretty much maintained that for 20.7 miles, leading all two-lap runners to the finish. Down from Wisconsin in her CLU debut Susan Hahn, wearing her Movin' Shoes Madison kit led the fairer sex from the start, finishing 2nd overall. Up from Champaign for their CLU debuts, Kelly Cunningham and Suzanne Rinehart ran steady together finishing within 22 seconds as 3rd and 4th place overall. Chicagoans Joshua Turner and Josh Johnston marked their CLU debuts, finishing overall 5th and 6th respectively.
Click for full Buildup Run Results:
Chicago Lakefront Ultras Buildup Run Results

CLU Half Marathon...
Like a shot from the gun in his CLU debut Matthew Popielarz set out at ~5:30 pace, and maintained that to the finish as `Overall Top Male`. CLU debuters Mauricio Grisales and Justin Hatchimonji finished in overall 2nd and 3rd place. Erin Ding (2nd CLU) led the fairer sex to `Overall Top Female` finishing 11th overall, chased by Natalie Dybas (CLU debut) 17th overall, and Julia Haskins (CLU debut) 19th overall.
Click for full Half Marathon Results:
Chicago Lakefront Ultras Half Marathon Results

CLU Milestones...
Congratulations to `My First Ultra` finishers!  Jesus Flores Jr, Vicente Calderon, Allen Drown, Mya Schrecengost, Joseph Rumenapp, Melissa Hedlund Nelson, Jonathan McKelvey, Jefferson Ngo, Minerva Cruz, Carmen Monroy, Chau Pham, Steven Kohl, Aaron Laurent, Naushad Khan, Michele Curley.
Congratulations to `My First Half Marathon` finishers!  Natalie Dybas, Jack Ohmer, Emma Alvarez, JIanli Huang, Dung Lai, Nicholas Harnish, Caroline Montag, Brooke Olson, Amanda Burkart, Marta Ziliani, Logan Riebel, Richard Ortiz Rodriguez, Jai Jariwala, Ralph Monroe, Adnan Askari, Diego Garcia, Rolando Iglesias.
Wow, big congratulations to `Back-to-Back Ultra Achievers` who completed last weekend's Paleozoic Trail Runs 50-Km -and- today's Chicago Lakefront Ulttras 50K!  Paul Garcia, Michael Glennon, Edna Jackeline Vazquez.
Search Chicago Lakefront Ultras past participant finishers under the "History" tab.

Nearing the finish line...
Completing their final lap, racing down the corridor of Jackson Park Beach House, drawn by ringing cowbells and cheering fans, under the finish line arch and Chicago Lakefront Ultras race banner, across the timing mats, awaiting all runners... customized finisher-medals with race-dated lanyards, special recognition awards, a rejuvenating bowl of Red Beans & Rice, and lots of refreshments for all!

Making it all happen...
Let's ring a cowbell and give a rousing "shout out" to our race volunteers, many of which are accomplished runners, all of whom performed "beyond the call!"  Bartek Zablocki, Brett Segobiano, Carl Shook, Sophia Matrov, Akhil Aerra, Elizabeth Lockwood, Jill Perry, Koyo Masore, Rachel Ping, Nick Donato, Jeni Goodwin, Hardik Prajapati, Jamie Simon, Marc Anguiano, Michelle Thom, Bill Thom.

• Packet Stuffing: Michelle Thom.
• Runner Check-In / Packet Distribution: Bart Zablocki, Elizabeth Lockwood, Rachel Ping, Bill Thom.
• Jackson Park Beach House Aid Station: Captain Rachel Ping, Bart Zablocki, Elizabeth Lockwood, Koyo Masore, Jamie Simon, Carl Shook.
• Burnham Park Satellite Aid Station: Captain Jill Perry, Elizabeth Lockwood, Nick Donato.
• North Turnaround Timing Checkpoint Manager: Captain Hardik Prajapati, Nick Donato.
• Supplies Delivery, Aid Station Shuttling, Racecourse Monitoring: Marc Anguiano, Michelle Thom.
• Equipment & Warming Tents Set up / Tear down: Marc Anguiano, Bart Zablocki, Elizabeth Lockwood, Rachel Ping, Jamie Simon, Koyo Masore, Carl Shook, Jill Perry, Nick Donato.
• Post-race Stacker of Equipment into Vehicles: Jamie Simon (certified Tetris expert).
• Red Beans and Rice Chef: Michelle Thom.
• Race-day Red Beans & Rice Overseer / Server: Bart Zablocki.
• Finish Line Greeters / Medals Presenters: Carl Shook, Jamie Simon, Koyo Masore, Jeni Goodwin.
• Professional Photography: Norman Timonera.
• Manager of Finish-line Audit / Top-3 Age Group Finishers: Jeni Goodwin.
• JP Beach Timing Checkpoint Manager: Bill Thom.
• Racecourse Marking / Course Cleanup: Bill Thom.
• Awards, Medals, Lanyards, T-Shirt Designs: Bill Thom.
• Race Communications: Bill Thom.

[Did I miss anyone here?  Please let me know if you notice a missing or misspelled name .]

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Commentary, feedback, links & recaps as generously provided by participants of Chicago Lakefront Ultras!

• #148 Erin Ding: Thanks again to you and Michelle and the volunteers for a great Lakefront race yesterday! This is only the second time I've won a half marathon!
• #457 Lily Jia: The race this weekend was so much fun! I had a great time running the half marathon and seeing the lakefront... thank you and your team again for the wonderful time!
• #491 Elton Toledo: Hey Bill, it was fun running this year. When you get a chance can you send the link to the photos of the half marathon. I have attached our pics, thanks again I'll see you next year 👍.
• #372 Josh Johnston: Thanks! The negative split was from an intentional workout I was doing (lots of marathon pacing on the second loop), but I was really happy either way. This was my first Lakefront Ultras race and I loved the experience (minus the rain)! I'll definitely encourage my friends to check it out.
• #53 Jonathan McKelvey: I had an amazing time at my first Lakefront Ultra this past weekend and look forward to future events. Thanks!
• #26 Sven Flodstrom: It was a fun race and I hope to do more in the future.
• #55 Paul Mollica: Thanks for the report and the links, and thank you for the very nice day!
• #33 Melissa Hedlund Nelson: Thank you, Bill! I had an incredible race experience and it was my first ultra! The volunteers were awesome, friendly and so helpful. One even helped me fix my camel back, she was so sweet. Thank you for putting on an amazing run. It was truly transformative.
• #57 Felicia Morales: Thank you so much for such a wonderful first ultramarathon! Your kindness and your presence truly meant and still means a lot to me once I passed that finish line! Thank you to all who clapped for me, cheered me on, and most of all….didnt give up on me!
• #315 Ruba Alobeid: Thank you for putting this on, I had a great time on the build-up run. If you could please send me the high-resolution images for [...], I would greatly appreciate it. I will definitely be signing up for more Chicago Lakefront Ultras races in the future!
• #99 Sally Buck: Thank you, Bill, for the wonderful post race report, photos, results, and future events. I came to Chicago with a friend to race the 1/2 marathon at the Lakefront Ultras for the first time. Congratulations on a successful race event full of hospitality, organized crew and an excellent course. I received a cup for finishing in the top 3 in the female 60-69 age group. It is unique with the Great Lakes! Thank you for consideration.
• #206 Ann Farlee: Loved the race. Friendly and organized. Very positive experience. Thank you. Didn’t love being named “the fairer sex”. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Great experience.
• #21 Jonathan Douglas: Hi Bill and Michelle, What a great event! Thanks for everything you do. I'm looking forward to the races in the late summer and fall.
• #107 Amanda Burkart: Thank you so much for hosting the Chicago Lakefront Ultra Marathon. As a senior in college, this was my first race and I was so excited to have completed my first half! I am excited to keep going and am grateful for this as my first race. Thank you again! I had a lot of fun and hope to run again in the future.